First You Dream, Then You Die

17-year-old Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) stumbles sleepily from his room into the hallway. Something seems wrong. He suddenly remembers something and shouts, "Mom," before running off through the house.

Norman ends up in the garage where he finds his father, Sam, lying in a pool of paint and blood under a toppled shelving unit. Norman runs for his mother.

Norman tries to lift the heavy shelves off of his father, but he soon realizes he's too late. His mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga), comforts him as it begins to sink in that Sam is dead.

Norma decides that she and Norman need a change. She moves them to White Pine Bay, Oregon, where she has bought a motel for the two of them to run.

It's Norman's first day of school in his new home. He waits at the bus stop just outside the motel.

Norman is soon surrounded by high school girls. Bradley Martin (Nicola Peltz) gives him the third degree, but cuts the questioning short when another friend pulls up in a convertible. The girls run to catch a ride.

It looked like Norman was going to be left behind for a moment, but Bradley returns and drags him to the car.

Bradley ends up in Norman's lap. She grabs his phone, take a self-shot, adds herself to his contacts and tells him, "You have any questions at school, you call me."

Norman's teacher, Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy), stops him after class. His grades don't match up to his impressive test scores, and she's worried something is wrong at home. Norman assures her that things are fine. "My mom's just a little... impulsive."

The former owner of the motel, Keith Summers (Earl Brown), isn't happy to see the new occupants. He stops by to give them a piece of his mind.

Norma doesn't want this belligerent drunk hanging around. She makes things clear for Keith: "If I ever see you here again I will call the police, or I will shoot you myself." Summers isn't impressed.

Bradley and her friends invite Norman out to study with them. Norma forbids him from going, so Norman sneaks out. he discovers too late that their true destination is actually a party.

Norman gets some alone time with Bradley, but is then joined by her boyfriend, Richard, who politely puts Norman in his place. Norman decides it's time to leave.

Meanwhile, Norma is home alone when she hears a noise outside. She nervously goes to investigate...

...as Keith Summers bursts through the front door. Norma keeps him at a distance with a kitchen knife, and calls for help, but Norman is nowhere to be found. Summers attacks her. After what feels like an eternity, Norman arrives home and knocks the man unconscious.

As soon as Norman leaves the room to get the first aid kit, Summers regains consciousness. He leers at Norma and tells her that she "liked it." She plunges the knife into him again and again until Norman returns and snaps her out of it.

Norman wants to call the police, but Norma refuses to let him. He insists that it was self-defense, but she argues that if the story gets out, they'll be ruined. "Who is going to book a room in the rape/murder motel?"

Norma sits him down and explains the plan. They'll wrap Summers up, move him into a motel room, clean up the mess, then deal with his body in the morning. Norman gives in.

Cleaning up all the blood proves more difficult than expected.

Norman and Norma haul Summers' body into one of the rooms. On the way in, they drop him, leaving a smear of blood on the carpet. Now it will have to come up, along with the matching carpets in several other rooms.

They finally get Summers into a tub, and Norma pulls the shower curtain closed. It's a good thing she does, as Sheriff Romero stops by moments later and uses the toilet right next to Summers' corpse. Luckily for the Bates', he doesn't notice.

The next day, Norma is walking through town when she spots a notice saying that the city is building a new bypass on the far side of town. The motel will now be about as far from potential customers as it is possible to get.

Norman and Norma row out into the bay and drop Summers' body in the deepest water they can find. It's a strange moment for them both, but strangely seems to bring them closer together.

As the Seafairer sign comes down and the new Bates Motel sign goes up, Norma's spirits follow suit. She resolves to stop the bypass project and make a new life in White Pine Bay for her and Norman, no matter what.